


Hotarubi

by lostsparrow



Series: Portgas D. Ace Anthology [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Character Study, Childhood, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Dreams and Nightmares, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 01:20:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12048354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostsparrow/pseuds/lostsparrow
Summary: This short piece is based on my headcanon that as a child Ace liked fireflies and would come home at night with some stuck to his body or aglow on his head; as a means of providing insightful meta on his Hotarubi/Firefly attack.





	Hotarubi

**Author's Note:**

> This short piece is based on my headcanon that as a child Ace liked fireflies and would come home at night with some stuck to his body or aglow on his head; as a means of providing insightful meta on his Hotarubi/Firefly attack.

When Ace was a kid, before becoming friends with Sabo and before Luffy came along, just a five years old boy, he would spend a good many nights outdoors, in the forest. 

Sleeping was an activity he dreaded, for it was the time of day when the living beasts of the forest switched places with beasts of thought, and abstract foes are harder to shake off. 

He would find himself stuck in nightmares, some of them starting as dreams, some of them never knowing what hope felt like. It was like the ability to dream pleasant things was beyond his mind’s range. 

Take one of the many times when his mother had appeared in a dream. 

She always appeared sporting new hair and wearing different clothes that shaped her figure so she never looked like the same woman. Yet, in his heart, Ace knew she was Rouge and Rouge was his mother. 

This time she was dressed in blue. 

Ace really liked to picture his mother in a blue dress and by his accord would not have her in any other colour. Blue dreams were good dreams - when Rouge wore blue, the chances of the dream being pleasant were higher. 

Ace saw himself collecting shells and lost things that had washed up on the shore. His mother appeared by the threshold of their little cabin by sea and called his name. Her voice had the promise of something yummy to eat. 

When Ace got to the kitchen his mother was no longer smiling. Her body was shaking, her eyes shiny like glass and her lips mumbling words he couldn’t understand. 

_**She was dying.** _

Now he saw why. There was a great gap in her belly, blackened by the blood that poured out and drenched that pretty blue dress Ace loved so much. 

Little Ace tried to help his mother but couldn’t move. He was in shock as he watched his mother die. Still trying to warn him, Rouge pointed a finger at her son before succumbing to death. Ace looked down searching his feet, for her gracious finger had pointed downwards and a muted scream exited his mouth.

_**He was holding the knife.** _

That was when Ace woke up from his dream, body and face covered in sweat and tears and his heart skipping like mad, as though it, too, wanted to escape before Ace stabbed it like he’d done before.

He understood his mother’s words. _You’ve killed me, Ace._  

Ace ran outside before Dadan or any other person picked on his distress. And so he would do, whenever the monsters appeared, and he was too scared and embarrassed to explain himself. No one would understand and no one would kill his sadness with tender arms and honey-sweet kisses.  

There was a spot North-West to Mt. Colubo he particularly liked. There, the fireflies would gather because of the climate being wetter and Ace would go after them because of how pretty they glew, even after twilight. 

There was warmth to them, like small candles flying around. I guess that's why they're named fireflies, though Ace did believe there was actual fire of greenish colour in their bodies. He didn't have an explanation for it and knew nothing of bioluminescence.

He was just a small boy who liked fireflies anf felt safe among them, surrounded by their lovely glow. The insects must return his feelings, for not many visits were needed for them to start clinging to his skin and his hair, placing a luciferin-sourced halo around his dark hair.

Some would even escort him back home and some would refuse to leave until Ace shoved them off his self. 

With them, Ace didn’t feel so lonely anymore.


End file.
